A New Threat
by Code LJ
Summary: Set in GI Joe Renegades, Mindbender creates a Super Soldier, melding a familiar soldier and one of his precious bio vipers.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: In no way do I own anything GI Joe related. _

_Author's Note: Thanks to "Just A Crazy Man" for the idea and the support! _

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><p>"I hope this is not wasting my valuable time," the Baroness said scornfully, finding her nails more interesting than Mindbender's latest " break through." She only tolerated him because he was the Commander's "pet" and what Adam DeCobray wanted, it was her job to make sure he got.<p>

"Let's get on with it then," she said impatiently, looking up at him as he muttered over his computer.

"I promise you, this is NOT a waste of time!" Dr. Brian Bender, known as Mindbender, exclaimed, so into his latest experiment that he didn't notice the Baroness' boredom. "Just a switch here, and an equation there….voila!" he said, turning his laptop so that she could see the computer simulation.

She bent forward, glad that he was finally getting on with it. She watched as yet another one of his bio vipers went through a series of battle moves.

She snorted. "Is that all? Just another bio viper? And why should we be interested in this? So far, they have not proved that successful," she said, starting to turn away.

"Wait!" Mindbender cried, tripping over one of the cords in his lab. The whole place was a disorganized mess and it made the Baroness, a very orderly woman, uncomfortable.

"I promise you, this is different – new, exciting, AND successful! You haven't heard of my secret element!"

"Which would be…"

Mindbender grinned. "What has been missing from my babies, er, bio vipers – a brain. Not any brain, but that of a trained soldier!"

"And where do you plan on getting this brain?"

Mindbender smiled. "Oh, I have some ideas," he said vaguely.

The Baroness sighed, wishing she was anywhere else but here. "I will let Mr. DeCobray know of your newest idea. He will let you know if the funding will be available."

"I am intrigued by the idea," a raspy voice echoed around the room. Mindbender grinned, rubbing his hands together. He hadn't let the Baroness know that he had patched through to the Commander quite a while ago. _Stuck up bitch, she deserved to be tricked_, he thought. "Baroness, see that Dr. Bender gets what he needs. While the bio vipers of the past have been somewhat successful, I think having a meld between a trained soldier and a synthetic one might be just what we need."

The Baroness inwardly sighed. Where was she to get a highly trained soldier who would be willing to consider going through this? Obviously, it would have to be one who had his mind changed for him.

"Oh, Baroness," mocked Mindbender, rubbing his hands together, grinning widely, "I need a specialized soldier. One who is a sharpshooter, a survivalist, and perhaps, one who specializes in difficult situations."

"Do you have any idea where you can find someone who would meet all these requirements?" she asked, rolling her eyes behind his back as he turned once again to his laptop and pulled up a file.

"I want….him," he said, brandishing the screen at her.

She leaned forward again. "Staff Sergeant Cooper G. MacBride," she read. "Code name: Low-Light. Interesting. What are we suggesting…kidnapping?"

"Read further," Mindbender snapped, impatient with her snotty attitude. "Remember, the Commander said I could have anything I need!"

_What a brat_, she thought, but continued to read aloud. "Missing in Action, Columbia, during a drug raid. So he's MIA," she shrugged. "What, you're going to tell me that you have him in your closet?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not exactly," boasted Mindbender. He pressed a button on his watch. "Major Blood, have you found the package?"

"We're very close, it won't be too long now. We are definitely on his trail!" the Australian mercenary gleefully replied.

"I wanted him yesterday!" whined Mindbender. "See that you deliver him to me by tonight and I will double your fee!" He looked over at the Baroness.

"I don't always need your help, as you can see" he said bitterly. "However, as long as Cobra Industries continues to fund my research, then that will do nicely."

"Call me when you have your test subject," she said. "I don't need to stay around and wait." She looked around the room once more in disgust, turned on her heel and marched out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

"Always get my man," Major Blood grinned at Mindbender, dragging in the limp body and dropping him on the floor in front of him.

"Careful!" Mindbender yelled. "That's part of my new bio viper!"

Major Blood didn't look too concerned. He held out his hand. "I believe you said double the fee?"

Mindbender prodded the limp body with his foot. "I wanted him alive. You're sure he's alive?" He nudged the body over with his foot, studying the face, comparing it with what he remembered from the file picture. Some facial hair, fatigue lines, but unless the man had a twin brother, it was him.

"See that chest rise and fall? Alive, I tell you. However, with where we found him….the drug lords were going to use him for bait, but I managed to….persuade….them to give him to me, that it would be best for their interests," Major Blood laughed.

"What about his mental state? I don't need to deal with that complication."

Major Blood shrugged, taking the money Mindbender handed him. "That wasn't part of the deal." He nodded at Mindbender, taking one last look at the body on the floor. _I'm not sure if he wasn't better off with the drug dealers_, he thought. _Poor sap._ _Who knows what the mad scientist will do with him. Oh well, not my concern. I have what I came for_, he thought, jiggling the money bag in his hand. He loved the sound of gold clinking together! Humming, he left the room, leaving any thoughts on the matter behind him.

Mindbender sighed. "It's so hard to get good help these days," he said, leaning down and dragging the body over to the table. "You my friend, need some experiments to test your mental state. I have just the thing," he murmured, rummaging through a drawer.

_Much Later On…_

"Arise, my Bio Soldier! Arise and serve your new master!"

Where the hell am I? wondered MacBride. His movements felt sluggish and slow. Last he remembered, he had been separated from his teammates during that last drug raid he had been leading. His vision was blurry and he had a hard time focusing on objects around the room he was in. The voice kept talking to him, but it sounded like it was coming from a hollow tube. His head was killing him.

Suddenly, his body was riddled with tiny electrical shocks. He struggled to fight whatever seemed to be holding him, but it was of no use. He slowly lost consciousness again.

Mindbender sighed, rubbing his head. What was wrong now? He checked his formula again. No, it was correct – this should be working. Maybe it was the wrong test subject. Maybe the soldier's mind wasn't as strong as he thought. He had researched this one! Besides being declared MIA, which was handy since no one would be looking for him and assume him dead, the psychological profile had intrigued him. The melding of the bio viper with this soldier should have been more successful. Maybe given time….

The thing moaned and Mindbender perked up. Maybe it could be a success after all! It might just take more time than he anticipated.

He groaned as the communicator beeped. "Yes?" he answered impatiently.

"Do you have my new super soldier ready?" rasped Adam DeCobray's voice.

Mindbender closed his eyes and rubbed his temple absentmindedly. "It's taking a little longer than I thought, but so far it seems like a success!" he lied.

"How much longer?" the voice grew impatient.

"A couple of days….I need time to run tests, to make sure the meld is complete."

"Very well then. You catch me in a giving mood, Dr. Bender. Failure is not an option."

"Yes, sir!" Mindbender cut the communication and sighed. "Come on baby, you need to get your dad out of a hell of a lot of trouble!"


	3. Chapter 3

The bio soldier moaned again. Mindbender studied his creation closely. It was a simple process really, for a genius like him, he thought. He had taken the solder and stripped him to the bare essentials, then attached sensors to his body, merged him with the bio viper goo, which he specially created to mold around the natural human body, and placed him in one of the MARS warrior suits. Only the soldier's head was exposed, but the suit took care of that. He had chosen this soldier because he had excellent night vision, and would need that to navigate.

"Do you hear me?" he spoke into a microphone. He was answered with another groan. Getting frustrated, Mindbender walked over to the soldier and yanked the helmet off. The soldier's eyes were glazed and unfocused.

"Ah, here's the problem," Mindbender muttered, picking up a loose sensor, placing it back on the soldier's temple. "Now we should be able to communicate more effectively."

Suddenly, the soldier's arm shot out and gripped Mindbender's arm. He struggled, but could not free himself of its grasp.

"I command you to let me go! I am your creator!" he yelled at his bio soldier.

The soldier's eyes were clearer. "Who are you? What did you do to me?" he rasped.

Mindbender struggled but could not free himself. While he was proud of his creation's super human strength, he knew he was in a bind. He couldn't reach his controls to subdue the subject.

"My name is Dr. Bender and I am saving your life," he lied. "You were found nearly dead and I have managed to revive you to create the perfect soldier. You are invincible! Nothing can hurt you anymore! You are right now in a confused state, which is natural. If you let me go, I can help with that and possibly the headache you are feeling right now," he said, trying for a soothing tone.

Confused, MacBride let go of the arm.

"Very good," soothed Mindbender, going over to his controls. He turned a knob which increased the frequency, which helped him control the mind of the soldier.

He was sure the screams could be heard miles away, they were that loud. Sighing, he turned it down when the soldier lost consciousness again.

Over the next few days, he ran tests but found it was impossible to control the free will of the soldier. Because of it, the meld with the bio viper was useless. The strength was unbelievable, but he felt that unless he had total control of the viper, it was not going to work. He hated to fail! The soldier grew weaker each time he tried and Mindbender was ready to give up on this soldier. His bio viper was perfect, so that was not the problem. _Stupid Americans and free will_, he thought. _I should have chosen one from another country that's used to total obedience. Come to think of it_….he shared this idea with the Baroness a few hours later who had come to receive his report on his progress.

"So what of this one?" she questioned, gesturing to where Mindbender was keeping the soldier unconscious.

"I'll phase him out and recycle the gel," he replied nonchalantly. "I'm sure we can find somewhere to dump him, or I'll have Major Blood take him back to the drug lords."

"The Commander will not be pleased with the delay," she reminded him, secretly hoping she would be present for the reprimand.

"He was more damaged than I thought," whined Mindbender.

The Baroness smiled coldly. "Save it for the Commander. Forty-eight hours, Mindbender, or you will be dealing with Mr. DeCobray's wraith." She chuckled to herself as she left.


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't wait till we can get some dry clothes," mumbled Roadblock as he drove the Coyote down the rain-soaked road. He sniffed and glanced at Tunnel Rat. "You smell like a wet dog."

"Gee thanks," Tunnel Rat replied dryly. "You're not smelling so good yourself, big guy," he threw back testily.

Scarlett sighed. "Look, let's just find someplace to dry off for the night. She squinted through the windshield and shook her head. "The visibility is near zero. Maybe we should pull off…"

She was interrupted by a loud BANG as something hit the front of the Coyote. Roadblock gripped onto the wheel, fighting for control as the Coyote started to spin.

Straightening the vehicle out, he managed to slide to a stop. The four sat there, breathless and quiet for the moment.

"What the hell was that?" Duke was the first to speak. Before anyone could answer him, he was out of the vehicle and walking back up the road. Scarlett shrugged and climbed out after him, the other two following her.

"Was it that, Jello?" speculated Tunnel Rat, squinting in the distance. "It definitely looks gelatinous. Watch it wiggle, see it…"

Scarlett held up a hand that stopped the Private from going on.

"Duke!" she called. "I wouldn't…" She stopped as he turned and yelled at them.

"It looks like a bio viper, but none I've seen before….like it's part human. Tunnel Rat! Go grab a blanket!"

Scarlett approached with caution. "Is it human?" she whispered, not sure what she was seeing. It looked to her like a bio viper had half-swallowed a man, looking at the goo on the road. She saw he wore some sort of metal suit that was now dented. She wondered if the Coyote had a matching dent on its bumper.

"We need to get him out of this rain!" Duke called to the rest.

"Is it even alive?" asked Tunnel Rat, coming back with the blanket. "Ugh. It looks like road kill!"

"Geeze, man!" Roadblock said, giving Tunnel Rat a push. "That's disgusting and unnecessary!"

Scarlett had squatted down to examine it closer once she determined it wasn't a threat. "It looks more like one of Mindbender's discarded experiments." She shook her head. "That man isn't human, what he does…"

The creature opened its eyes and stared blankly at the group. It moaned, fluttered its eyelids, then was out again.

"Help me get him in the Coyote!" Duke ordered. "Yes, I'm sure!" he snapped at the others as they stood there and stared at him. "I don't think he's in any condition to be a threat to us!"

"Duke's right," Scarlett agreed. "And we don't know what kind of information he could give us against Mindbender and Cobra."

Snake Eyes appeared out of the mist, nodding his head, gesturing towards the Coyote.

"How does he DO that?" whispered Tunnel Rat to Roadblock, who merely shrugged.

"Just be glad he's on our side," Roadblock answered softly.

The group wrapped the blanket around the creature as best as they could and put him in the back of the Coyote, which was currently hologrammed to portray a Camper.

"Now what?" asked Scarlett, wiping off some of the Bio Viper goo on the grass at the side of the road.

"One of us should sit back here with him, to help him when he becomes conscious again," said Duke, looking pointedly at Scarlett.

"Why me?" she asked. "It's your idea!"

"Yes, but you're the one who wants information on Cobra," he replied, giving a wry smile.

"Fine," she grumbled, climbing in back.

Snake Eyes gestured to her and she nodded her head, agreeing. She turned to the others. "Snake Eyes says whatever it is, Cobra is bound to be on its tail. This doesn't look like anything they would want to lose. We should probably be on our way."


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you mean it escaped?" screamed Mindbender to the sorry excuse of a guard. "It was half dead! How could you let it escape? I'm surrounded by a bunch of idiots!" he continued to scream.

"Problems, Mindbender?" inquired Baroness, amused, on the telescreen.

"Nothing I can't handle," he mumbled, pushing a few keys to bring up the security cameras. "Mmmm…so that's how he did it. Maybe he is more valuable than I thought," he said to himself, forgetting the Baroness for the moment.

"It's been 48 hours," her voice reminded him.

He waved his hand at her. "Quiet! I think I just found a new development!"

"Your time is up," Baroness replied. "Mr. DeCobray would like to speak to you."

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><p>Scarlett had fallen half asleep, but the moan had her on instant alert. She leaned over to check the pulse at the man's neck. They had been afraid to remove the suit, not sure if it was protection or life support.<p>

"Hey, are you awake? Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Where…..where am I?" the voice was low, so low she almost hadn't heard it.

"You're with friends. Do you know what happened to you?"

"Can't….remember…doctor…said he brought me to life?" the man sighed, trying to lift his head, then gave up.

"Take it easy," Scarlett soothed, holding up a canteen of water to the man's mouth. He drank greedily, but most of it trickled down the side of his mouth. Scarlett adjusted the angle of his head so that it was easier.

After he finished drinking, she set the canteen down and lowered his head. He sighed.

"Do you remember who you are?"

"I…..I'm not sure…" he struggled, closing his eyes.

"It's okay. You rest and we can talk later. Just know that you're safe with us, for now. I'm sure Cobra is still hunting you, but we're taking you somewhere where hopefully you'll be safe," she said firmly. She needed to contact Breaker, see what he knew about this, she thought.

The Coyote lurched to a stop. "Now what?" Scarlett muttered.

Duke's voice floated back to her. "Try to keep our friend quiet. We have to go an alternate route. Cobra's ahead."

"Easier said than done," Scarlett muttered as she was jostled to and fro from whatever pitted road they had turned on. She glanced at the man but he was mercifully unconscious at this point. She almost envied him as they hit another bump.

Finally, the Coyote stopped. The back doors opened and Duke and Snake Eyes stood there.

"How is he?" Duke asked, concerned. "He doesn't look too good."

The man had a greenish tinge to his skin. Scarlett shrugged. "He's been drifting in and out of consciousness. I figured his body needed the rest. It sounds like he's been through quite a bit of trauma. My guess is that Mindbender used him for an experiment and somehow, it didn't work out. Our guy escaped, or was scrapped, and somehow we came upon him. He said something about the doctor telling him he saved his life. Knowing Mindbender, it was his bit at brainwashing his victim," she said scornfully.

Snake Eyes nodded his head in agreement, sensing her thoughts. He gestured towards the man whose eyelids were fluttering again.

Tunnel Rat came forward. "He doesn't look so good. Maybe I should be the one checking him out. I mean, being a field medic and all," he added sarcastically.

"He's all yours," Scarlett said, moving aside as Tunnel Rat climbed into the back.

"Hey, buddy, can you hear me?" Tunnel Rat said loudly.

"Nice bedside manner," Scarlett muttered to Duke. "I could've done that and I'm not even a field medic!"

Duke chuckled. "What are you true thoughts, really?"

Scarlett thought for a moment. "We don't know what they've done to this guy. Remember that strange cult with the two twin brothers? They could've brainwashed this guy into thinking he's some sort of super soldier, enhanced him with bio viper goo, equipped him with the metal suit and set him out here for us to find. It could be the whole thing is a trap," she shrugged. "I'm not sure what my gut is telling me though. Right now, it's telling me to trust the guy just because he's so confused. I think for now, he's harmless."

"Well, don't let your mothering instincts take over too soon. I mean, we don't know what will happen once the programming sets in, and I'm sure it will. For all we know, he has already targeted us!"

"Now who's being paranoid," Scarlett scoffed, thinking back to when they first met and Duke's accusations.

"It pays to be cautious, that's all I'm saying."


	6. Chapter 6

"Uh, guys?" interrupted Tunnel Rat. "I think our guy is coming around. No offense, but I'd like the ninja and Roadblock to be around. Not that you two aren't pillars of strength, but a little muscle never hurts!"

The entire team stood near the back of the Coyote, undecided on what to do.

Scarlett sighed. "I guess I should try to talk to him again. He's heard my voice and also, chances are he'll be more receptive to a female." She shrugged at the looks she got. "Proven research."

She climbed back in as the soldier was beginning to sit up, holding his head.

"Hey there," she said, using the soothing tone again. "You're with friends. We want to help you. Can you tell us how you got like this?"

MacBride rubbed his temples. There was a sticky residue, but he ignored it for now because the pressure of his fingers on his temple seem to ease the pain a bit and help him focus on the voice.

"Not sure. I remember….something with my unit, I think…jungle…..heat….gunfire….there was an exchange and then I think I may have been captured." His voice was raw and raspy. He tried to clear his throat but it was no use. Something seemed to be permanently stuck in it. _Did my voice always sound like this?_ he wondered.

"Do you know of an organization called Cobra?" Scarlett asked, glancing at her teammates. "We think they're the ones who did this to you. "

"Are they drug lords? My team…..my team…." he repeated, rubbing his temples harder. "I….I can't think….I'm sorry….."

Tunnel Rat nudged Scarlett aside. "Hey there," he said softly, "let me help you. I don't have much, but I can at least give you something for your head to help the pain, ok?"

"Anything…." the soldier pleaded.

Tunnel Rat fished in the bag he had brought with him. "It's not much, just some Tylenol with Codeine, but I think it'll help with the pain as well as bring you some sleep."

The soldier squinted at Tunnel Rat. "My vision….I….do I wear glasses? I can't see clearly…." He fumbled with the pills and the bottle of water he was handed. "Damn head…."

He swallowed the pills and took a sip from the bottle, his hand shaky so that water dribbled down his chin.

"Let me help you with that," Tunnel Rat offered.

"NO!" the soldier yelled suddenly, startling the team so that even Snake Eyes seemed startled. "Sorry…I know you're trying to help…I just….." he sighed, laying back down on the blanket underneath him.

"Let's find a place where we can leave him safely for now, until he gets his memory back," Duke told the others. "I don't think we need to be staying in one spot for too long. I have a funny feeling about all this. You sure you didn't find a tracking device on the suit?" he asked Roadblock, who had been studying it.

Roadblock shook his head. "Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't one, but I'd think Cobra would've showed up by now, knowing them."

"True," Duke mused. He turned to Scarlett. "Get Breaker and see if he can find anything. We need to keep moving. Tunnel Rat," he said, addressing the slight man, "you keep watch over our friend. See that he stays calm until we can talk to him further. If you can, see what other information you can get from him."

"What now?" Roadblock questioned Duke.

Duke thought for a few moments. "Not sure. I just feel something's not right with this. I think we need to find a place to stash this guy and leave him far behind." He glanced over at Scarlett who was talking on her phone. "I know Red's got the maternal instinct thing going on, but something's not right. I don't think Mindbender would just junk one of his experiments. If this guy hasn't escaped, then we're playing right into Cobra's hands. Might still be," he said thoughtfully. "We need to get on the road, regardless."

Scarlett shut her phone, glancing up at the two men. "Breaker's looking into it and will call when he knows something. He'd like to see this guy in person, but since he's so far away at this point, I can't see how…" she trailed off, looking at the two. "What?"

"Nothing!" Duke said quickly, not sure what he was feeling. Sure, he'd like to rescue the guy but they'd better err on caution, he thought. "Let's get moving," he said, indicating the Coyote with his head.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a quiet ride. No one talked other than a comment here or there. Scarlett leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She wasn't really tired, but wanted to think through a few things in her mind without interference.

There was a loud BANG from the back of the truck. Roadblock swerved to the side and hit the brakes. They all got out and ran to the back, flinging the doors open. "What's going on?" demanded Roadblock, peering inside.

The soldier had Tunnel Rat in a death grip, his hand around his neck. Standing up, the modified soldier was several inches taller than Roadblock and so had to duck his head inside the vehicle.

"Get your hands off him!" Roadblock yelled at the soldier.

"I need answers!" demanded the soldier. "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"Calm down! We're your friends, remember?" pleaded Scarlett, not liking how Tunnel Rat was limp in the man's grip. She hoped it was a survival trick. "Now just let Tunnel Rat down gently."

The soldier looked confused for a moment, and Roadblock used that to his advantage. He leaped at the soldier and managed to knock him off balance, releasing Tunnel Rat, who fell to the floor, gasping.

The soldier recovered quicker than Roadblock and was out of the Coyote, pointing at the group of Joes.

"I don't know what you've done to me, but it ain't right and I intend to make you pay!" he yelled, looking at each one of them in turn.

"Please listen to us. We're trying to help you!" Scarlett tried once again. Duke noticed each time she spoke, it tended to confuse the soldier, but it didn't last long.

"NO!" yelled the soldier. "You're trying to confuse me!" He looked frantically around. MacBride wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he had to get away. He couldn't remember what it was, but something was not right about this group. He remembered seeing their picture somewhere, just not sure where. Every instinct in his body yelled at him to get out, now, and he tended to be a guy who followed his instincts!

He was surrounded. The little guy, the one they called Tunnel Rat, was still in the back of the vehicle. He wanted to avoid the bigger guy, so he decided the blonde would be his easiest hit. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to hurt the redheaded woman. Shaking his head, he charged at the blonde, but a man clad in black jumped in front of him, brandishing a sword. Giving a loud yell, MacBride charged at him and managed to clip him in the shoulder. The blonde was smart enough to move out of his way at the last moment. _Good thing_, MacBride thought. He saw his chance to lose them in the woods at the side of the road. Instinct drove him on, as far as possible from the group at the road.

He wasn't sure whether they had pursued him or not, but after a while, he was able to slow down. He was amazed that he was not winded as he thought he would be. Maybe that doctor was telling the truth after all! In fact, other than a dizzy spell now and then, he felt great! His vision had sharpened and he could swear even his sense of smell had gotten better. He was even able to pick up his speed, running faster than he ever had, seeing small things such as tree roots and rocks that would usually trip him up!

For the first time in as long as he could remember, MacBride felt a smile cross his face. Even if that redhead had been right, that "Cobra" had done this to him, then he had a lot to be thankful to that Cobra for! He had never felt better, both physically and mentally. His once dark thoughts seem to have been buried away and his nightmares he had suffered from since his childhood seem to have gone with them.

"Dr. Bender." He said the name aloud, rolling it around in his mind. He wasn't sure who the doctor was, but since he had said he was making him better, he decided he needed to find this doctor and not only thank him, but find out what exactly he had done.

As if a homing signal had gone off in his head, MacBride suddenly knew where he needed to go. He turned around and headed for the road in the direction he had been running from. He doubted the small team would still be there. In fact, he felt their presence was gone. He wasn't sure how he knew this, but he did. Just as he knew that if he followed the trail, it would lead him back to the doctor and Cobra.


	8. Chapter 8

"What are we doing to find this missing soldier, Dr. Bender?" questioned the Commander.

"Well, Mr. DeCobray, I have devised a homing signal which I activated so that our soldier will come to us," said Mindbender confidently.

"How is that possible when he escaped in the first place?" asked the Baroness, wanting to see the good doctor squirm. They were teleconferencing, with all 3 being in different locations. Good thing since she didn't want her boss to see how much she was enjoying Mindbender's predicament.

"He escaped because he was confused," answered Mindbender, in a tone you would use to explain something to a small child. "However, once the confusion passed, I was able to locate him using a homing device which then helped me activate the signal. I also have soldiers ready to retrieve him once he gets to the nearest main road which should be in about," he glanced at his watch, "a few minutes from now."

"Dr. Bender, I hope you are telling me the truth," the Commander said in his own condescending tone. "We wouldn't want a repeat of last time."

"I can assure you that's not the case this time," said Mindbender in that same confident tone he used before. In fact, he was almost gleeful. From what he could see of his readings of the super soldier's mind, it seemed that everything had clicked into place. He really did need to learn to be more patient with his new experiments. Sometimes it just took time before the magic happened!

A loud beep was heard and Mindbender pressed a button. "Yes?" he asked impatiently.

"Sir, we have located MacBride and we are on our way. He is most anxious to talk to you."

"That's wonderful!" crowed Mindbender. "So sorry to disappoint you, Baroness," he said sarcastically. "But it seems that I have won this round!"

_For now_, the Baroness thought. _Shouldn't_ _be too long before the next screw up, and I'll be waiting!_

MacBride relaxed in the vehicle taking him back to Dr. Bender and Cobra. The men who had met him on the road were dressed as soldiers with a red Cobra snake emblazoned on the sleeve of their uniform. They had been waiting for him and somehow, he was surprised. In fact, he had sensed them before he had even seen them, but had instinctively known that they were not a threat. He also had known that he could've taken them if they were. He was anxious to try out his new skills, but felt that he needed to talk to this Dr. Bender first. He needed to know the full extent of his new abilities and how he could use them.

"Welcome back, lost one!" Dr. Bender announced as MacBride entered the room. "I see that you are more comfortable with your new body!"

MacBride smiled. It still felt weird on his face, he thought. "I have to thank you, Dr. Bender. Before, I'm not sure what was wrong with me, but everything is much clearer now, both mentally and physically! I do have some questions for you, though."

"Of course!" said Mindbender with a smile of his own. "Let's sit down and talk, shall we?" He indicated a seat in his lab and said, "Of course, you don't mind if I examine you as we talk for any kind of damage or ill effect? Just procedure, I assure you."

MacBride nodded. As the doctor examined him, he asked his questions and received answers he felt were reasonable.

He asked his last question, the one he felt was most important, but the one he dreaded hearing.

"Why was I chosen? Why was I created?"

Mindbender paused in his exam, thinking about how to answer that question.

"You were chosen because of who you are, how you were trained, your specialty area, and the trauma you have survived in your life," he began slowly. "You were beaten and on the brink of death. I fused you with one of my bio vipers to make you into the ultimate super soldier. Combined with your abilities, the bio viper element makes all your senses sharper, your strength increased…in fact, all your abilities increased….and you are the first of many to be created. Imagine," said Mindbender excitedly, "leading a whole army of super soldiers!"

"I ran into this group, a ragtag bunch of 4, that tried to tell me that Cobra was evil," MacBride said slowly, "but I'm beginning to wonder. I can't see anything you've done to me that's been horrible or mutated. In fact, I'm feeling pretty much the opposite," he finished thoughtfully.

"Four you say?" Mindbender said, a frown on his face. "Is this them?" he asked, pulling up a picture on his laptop from a past security tape.

MacBride looked from where he was sitting, across the room. He could see the picture clearly without having to focus. He nodded his head.

"Hmmm, interesting. These four, the three men and one woman, when did you run into them? Tell me everything," Mindbender said, coming towards MacBride, who had sat up on the examination table.

MacBride swung his legs over the edge. He told Mindbender the story, not leaving out any details.

Mindbender nodded his head. "Oh yes, I can see that they were trying to trick you. Let me tell you about those four. It's good you told me this and even better that you got away from them." He weaved a tale of patriotism (Cobra) and anarchy (Joes). "In fact, one of your first missions is to destroy them," he finished. "We can't allow them to continue their terrorist ways!"

MacBride frowned. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was enemies of the United States! "Tell me the plan," he said, his voice low and deadly. Mindbender smiled. This was just too easy.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: I am marking this as complete for now, but as you can tell, it leaves itself open for more!<em>


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